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The Truth About Travelling Sri Lanka in a Tuk-tuk

The Truth About Travelling Sri Lanka in a Tuk-tuk

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Was it hard to drive?!

Were the roads crazy?!

How much did it cost?!

These are all common questions we’ve been asked since our epic 27-day tuk-tuk journey around Sri Lanka.

And fair enough, I mean these were the same questions we had when we got the idea to rent and drive a tuk-tuk around this gorgeous island nation.

 I mean, normally in Asia tuk-tuks are a cheap form of a taxi, not a full-on mode of transport for nearly a month!

But we thought it would be an adventure and we love adventures – so we didn’t have much hesitation and booked our tuk-tuk.

The truth is, driving our own tuk-tuk around Sri Lanka was incredible and turned out to be a highlight of our Sri Lanka trip. It wasn’t without its challenges though, so in this post, we are going to let you in on what exactly it was like to travel around Sri Lanka in our own tuk-tuk, and reveal the amazing, the stressful, and the downright scary.

After reading this blog, you’ll know if a tuk-tuk journey in Sri Lanka is right for you!

Driving our tuk tuk around the tea plantations near Haputale!
Driving our tuk tuk around the tea plantations near Haputale!

The Truth About Driving in Sri Lanka

The first challenge we faced when renting the tuk-tuk was learning to drive it.

I (Bailey) wanted no part in it. To be honest, I hate driving on a normal basis and I am self-admittedly not a very good driver. So, for this one, it was all on Daniel.

Having driven motorbikes, scooters, and manual cars before it was a breeze for him to pick up driving the tuk-tuk! He was worried about it a bit before his driving lesson, but after about 30-minutes with an instructor, he was a pro!

Driving the tuk-tuk isn’t the problem – it is the other drivers.

People in Sri Lanka are CRAZY drivers!

The biggest challenge for Daniel was getting used to Sri Lankan driving “rules” (or lack of.) In Sri Lanka, buses rule the roads. We learned very quickly that if a bus is coming (or anywhere near us for that matter) we needed to just get out of the way.

Large trucks and some cars would often speed past us on the highway overtaking when there was oncoming traffic or on blind corners. We just kept as far away from these crazy drivers as possible and took our time.

In Sri Lanka, it is a law that tuk-tuks can only travel at 40km/hr as a maximum. This may sound slow, but believe me –once you’re in the tuk-tuk this speed is actually a safe and reasonable speed to travel at. In fact, staying at 40km/h or slower will allow you to react better to any situation and not compete with the cars or buses.

Driving through the hills in Horton Plains National Park
Driving through the hills in the Knuckles Mountain Range

So, was it safe?

Ah, the ultimate question…

For us, it was! No accidents (not even a minor bump) and certainly no injuries. After seeing how the buses drive, I felt very safe in my tuk-tuk. The buses were always going ridiculously fast and to be honest, I was glad I didn’t have to ride on any of them.

There are always risks when traveling in foreign countries where the roads are different no matter what type of vehicle you’re in or who is driving. The tuk-tuk felt safe and we were careful so we had no problems at all!

Being in a tuk-tuk does have its risks though. There are no seatbelts and the vehicle is very tiny and wouldn’t likely hold up well in a large accident. That being said, if you drive carefully, slowly, and are aware of your surroundings you should be just fine. The cars and buses just go around Tuk-tuks and because you’re traveling much slower they pass with ease.

But as with any activity, you’ll definitely want to have insurance…

watching an elephant from our tuk tuk!
Just casually watching an elephant from our tuk tuk!

Insurance and the Tuk-tuk

First of all, get travel insurance that will cover you for renting and driving a tuk-tuk. Some companies actually have policies specifically designed for this while others you should call and ask (generally you need to be covered for both driving a car AND a motorbike (up to 250cc) to be covered for driving a tuk-tuk.)

But besides your travel insurance, if you rent off a reputable company like we did (Tuktuk Rental) they will have full insurance for the tuk-tuk and any accident including any medical care for yourself or passengers while in Sri Lanka.

Te truth about renting a tuk tuk!
From the beach to the highlands our tuk tuk came with us everywhere!

Choosing the Right Rental Company

I can’t stress the importance of this enough!

Before we rented our tuk-tuk we didn’t really understand who to rent off or how to go about it. We thought that we could just rent a tuk-tuk off a guy in the street for cheap, no worries.

And sure, we could’ve…but knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t recommend it.

In terms of insurance, safety, instruction, licenses, quality of tuk-tuks, and 24/7 support I recommend renting with a reputable company who helps with all of this! We rented our tuk-tuk from Tuktuk Rental and they honestly thought of everything (things we had no idea about) and made our trip as smooth as possible.

We had such a great experience with Tuktuk Rental they actually have a program for people who rent their tuk tuks to pass on savings to friends! So if you rent your tuk-tuk using our discount code you’ll save 5%. Use our discount code ‘DEST’ to get your tuk-tuk rental 5% off!

watching elephants while in our rental tuk tuk in Sri Lanka
Did we mention you’ll see elephants?

Navigating and Getting Around

Since I wasn’t driving, I got the lovely (insert eye-roll here) job of the navigator – I am just as bad with directions as I am at driving! We did get lost a couple of times and ended up on “roads” that just turned into dirt paths in the middle of nowhere.

Sometimes we had to turn around and sometimes ask for directions. But other than that everything went smoothly and Sri Lanka as actually really easy to navigate.

We actually bought a sim card for our phone so we had internet everywhere and used Google Maps all of the time.

The Freedom!!!

Being about to go anywhere we wanted whenever we wanted without having to arrange a taxi or a tour was AMAZING! Even the simplest things like going out for dinner across town was even easier for us.

We spent no time planning routes or catching buses. No time haggling with tuk-tuk drivers or taxis. If we wanted to go somewhere or do something – we just went! It was really that simple and we absolutely loved it.

Was it worth the money?

Let’s face it, traveling in your own tuk-tuk isn’t the cheapest way to get around Sri Lanka. Public buses and trains are cheaper at only a couple of dollars per ride.

To me, the tuk-tuk was well worth the money because we loved having the freedom and it was so much fun! It itself is an experience, and one you won’t forget, I promise!

But besides that, the tuk-tuk also saved us money on other aspects of our trip. We never had to hire a tuk-tuk driver to get around to attractions or to our hotel. We often stayed at hotels or guesthouses a couple of kilometers out of town because they were always cheaper than those that were centrally located. This was all a savings for us overall.

Renting a tuk tuk in Sri Lanka was an awesome experience!
It’s an experience that we won’t’ forget. Thank you Sri Lanka

Would we do it again?

Yes! 100% we WILL be hiring a tuk-tuk again in the future and using it a mode of transport on a trip. Tuktuk Rental also operates in India so that sounds like a good plan for us next!

If (when) we return to Sri Lanka we will have no choice but to hire a tuk-tuk again. After being spoiled by traveling in a tuk-tuk before it would be impossible to go back to inconvenient public transport.

Are you thinking about traveling in Sri Lanka by a hired tuk-tuk? Do you have questions? Read our complete guide to tuk-tuk rental in Sri Lanka!

-Bailey

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Evie

Friday 28th of June 2024

Hey great post! Just wondering what's the max you could have per tuk tuk for a 1 month trip? We're a group of 4 and deciding between car or tuk tuk :)

Also is it quite tricky getting the international drivers licence? Did you get stopped by police a lot?

Also sorry last question do you need to have a valid UK driver's licence to rent a tuk tuk? (my friend drives but hasn't past test yet haha)

Destinationless Travel

Sunday 30th of June 2024

Hey Evie,

For 4 people you would need two tuk tuks for sure.

It's not hard so long as you get the tuk tuk company to do it.

Yes you need a valid license.

Have fun!

Thanks Daniel

Ellis Harling

Friday 2nd of February 2024

Hi, great blog! Just one question how much was the Tuktuk to rent for the time you had it? Thanks Ellis

Destinationless Travel

Sunday 4th of February 2024

Hey Ellis,

It was $20 USD per day and that included a few extras such as speaker for music.

Thanks Daniel

Joanna

Wednesday 3rd of January 2024

Hey, I am planning to go to Sri Lanka end of march and just planning my trip. How long did take you to drive from Sigiriya to Colombo? I was thinking about renting small car but the tuk-tuk sounds fun 😁

Thank you, Jo

Joanna

Friday 16th of February 2024

@Destinationless Travel, thank you so much for the info. I’ve booked the tuk-tuk planned my trip :) Do they have petrol stations often? How often will I have to fill up? And another question. How much cash should I take for two weeks? Or should I use ATM’s more? Or card?

Thanks , Jo

Destinationless Travel

Tuesday 9th of January 2024

Hey Joanna,

In a tuk tuk it took us just over 5 hours. It does take slightly longer than in a car.

Thanks Daniel

Costanza

Friday 20th of October 2023

Hi Bailey amazing post! thanks for your precious advice. we'll be renting a tuk-tuk as well with that same rental company, however it looks like a local driving license is needed and must be done/taken in Colombo. Did you actually go to Colombo yourself to get the licence?

Thank you Costanza

destinationlesstravel

Saturday 21st of October 2023

Hey Costanza,

Glad you like it!

No, the rental company organized it for us in Colombo, We just picked it up. Ask them about this service.

Thanks Bailey

Nelson Rodrigues

Monday 9th of January 2023

Hi Guys, amazing blog thanks for sharing your experiance, this is something ive always wanted to do with my wife however we have a 8 year old boy and he is extremelly adventures but do you think this is a bit tooo out there to do with a child? we were looking to get a tuk tuck for 10 days from Colombo to Trincomalee around the south bay and then up. what do you guys think?

Thank you, and hope you guys are still having fun around he world.

destinationlesstravel

Sunday 15th of January 2023

Hey Nelson,

That's hard to say. Driving a tuk-tuk does come with dangers (but so does all traveling), so it's up to you. Overall it's pretty safe but you'll want to be more cautious.

I am sure he would love the journey though and so would the locals.

I hope this helps Daniel